Thursday, November 20, 2008

The Wrong Bra Can Damage Breast Ligaments

Yup, that’s right. Apparently not only can wearing the wrong bra size for your breasts be incredibly uncomfortable or unsupportive, but it can also have the potential to damage the ligaments that keep breasts in their proper place. How did they find this out? Well they put a bunch of women on treadmills and studied how their breasts moved around, bounced up and down and from the side to side, and found that those that were wearing what is considered to be the improper cup or circumference or strap size, had the most movement, and those that were wearing the right bra fit had the most restricted movement, and therefore less likelihood of breast damage.They said that many bras would only limit vertical movement of the breasts, that is, up and down movement from chin to feet, rather than also limiting the side to side movement, which is not what most women think of when buying a bra for fit. The bra should fit cozily to the breast so as to limit that side to side movement as well as the “bounce” effect, to make sure that the breasts are not potentially being harmed from too much movement around.They say that bras should be bought based on not only comfort, but also on how well they actually keep your breasts “in place”, so don’t get stuck in that rut of buying the exact same bra you’ve always bought, just because that’s what your comfortable wearing, but rather when you try on the bras in the dressing room (and if you don’t always try on your bras, now’s the time to start!), try running in place or bouncing up and down and seeing what your breasts are doing when you are moving in the dressing room mirror. The bras that support and hold the breasts in place, but are also not so tight you can’t breathe or they feel to restrictive, is the bra you should be getting for the best fit and the best health of your breasts and their precious ligaments.